Collaborative Librarianship
Volume 2 | Issue 2
Article 12
2010
Review of Libraries Got Game: Aligned Learning
through Modern Board Games
Christine Baker
Arthur Lakes Library, Colorado School of Mines, [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.du.edu/collaborativelibrarianship
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Recommended Citation
Baker, Christine (2010) "Review of Libraries Got Game: Aligned Learning through Modern Board Games," Collaborative
Librarianship: Vol. 2 : Iss. 2 , Article 12.
Available at: http://digitalcommons.du.edu/collaborativelibrarianship/vol2/iss2/12
This Review is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Collaborative Librarianship by
an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected].
Baker: Baker: Review of Libraries Got Game
Baker: Review of Libraries Got Game
Review of Libraries Got Game: Aligned Learning through Modern Board
Games
Christine Baker, MLS ([email protected])
Special Formats Cataloging Librarian, Arthur Lakes Library, Colorado School of Mines
Libraries Got Game: Aligned Learning through
Modern Board Games is a wonderful resource
for both school librarians and classroom
teachers. This informative book focuses on
incorporating modern board and card
games into preschool and K-12 school libraries and classrooms as curriculum-aligned
resources that foster student learning. The
authors, Brian Mayer and Christopher Harris, are school librarians who have backgrounds in gaming. Mayer and Harris begin
their book with a description of how modern board games (also called designer
games) differ from and provide more engaging experiences than mainstream American
board games or conventional educational
games. The authors state that “with a variety of mechanics going well beyond the traditional roll-and-move, designer games force
players to explore, inquire, interpret, and act
upon information gathered from many
sources” (p.10). Examples of specific games
are showcased throughout the book. The
authors offer suggestions for establishing a
curriculum-aligned game collection and
provide information about their school district’s game library as a model.
Mayer and Harris do an excellent job of presenting the many features of designer board
games, through the inclusion of numerous
and specific examples. Furthermore, they
explain how these games support learning
by creating experiences that require higherorder thinking skills, decision-making, and
strategy. Readers will learn how these
games can be linked to the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards for the Twenty-First-Century Learner
as well as to state and national curriculum
standards in the following content areas:
English and language arts, social studies,
math, and science. Opportunities for student collaboration, cooperation, and social
skill development are also examined, and
the authors touch upon the ways in which
designer games are beneficial to English
language learners.
As part of the process of developing their
own game library, the authors describe the
“top-down approach” they used to gain
support and, ultimately, adoption of designer games as legitimate instructional resources. Mayer and Harris include ideas for
selection criteria as well as information
about training librarians and teachers who
would like to employ these games in their
classrooms or libraries.
The final section of the book, organized by
grade-level range, highlights “top recommended” games and notes curricular areas
covered by each game. Helpful logistical
information for teachers and librarians is
also included here; e.g., the amount of playing time required and whether or not the
game can be adapted for a large group.
The book is divided into four sections: Reintroducing Board Games, Games for TwentyFirst-Century Learners, Games in School
Libraries, and Great Games for School Libraries. Additionally, this book includes a
list of games discussed by the authors, an
index, a list of game publishers, and a glossary of designer board game terminology.
Whether looking to incorporate fun and intellectually engaging activities that will enhance instruction and student learning, or
developing a game library or collection, this
book will serve as a valuable guide.
Collaborative Librarianship 2(2): 111 (2010)
Published by Digital Commons @ DU, 2010
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